Students counted for state funding

Tue, 2013-10-08 14:13

Superintendent Donald Aguillard said the Minimum Foundation Program, the state’s complex funding formula, will give a large chunk — 46 percent — of the parish’s revenue based on the number enrolled on that day.

Of the 9,478 students enrolled on Oct. 1 in St. Mary Parish schools, 9,052 of them will count toward about $45.53 million in funding from the state.

Superintendent Donald Aguillard said the Minimum Foundation Program, the state’s complex funding formula, will give a large chunk — 46 percent — of the parish’s revenue based on the number enrolled on that day.

A second count is taken Feb. 1. Districts can receive a supplemental increase or decrease depending on that count.

Under the Minimum Foundation Program, Louisiana annually adopts a formula to allocate funding for education to school districts. Funding through this program is provided to school districts as a block grant. After satisfying all mandated requirements, school districts have the flexibility to spend the funding to meet the needs of their schools and students.

The 426-student difference between the total student count and the number used for the state funding is attributed primarily to the parish’s 387 pre-kindergarten students. Pre-kindergarten is largely federally funded, Chief Financial Officer Alton Perry said.

The Oct. 1 count was down 35 students from the Oct. 1, 2012, student count, Aguillard said. State funding per student is about $6,200 per child, he added.

“Thus, we should plan for a $217,000 reduction in our MFP allocation for 2014-15. … Regarding the $217,000 anticipated decline in MFP for 2014-15, this figure is small in comparison to prior year declines in MFP and should be offset with recent increases in local sales tax collections,” Aguillard said via email this morning.

Perry said the school system’s final state funding for the 2012-13 school year was $46.86 million.

Perry said the school system budgeted state funding revenues of $45.53 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014.